Back before the TripAdvisor was around, people experienced Thailand in different ways. Jake Needham got his first idea of the country while a CIA agent drove him around the poppy fields surrounding Chiang Mai in the early 1970s. It was a trip that was quickly followed by his first job offer to work as a lawyer in Bangkok in 1974. He turned it down. But as it turned out, it was a sign of things to come.

More than 40 years later, Jake Needham can look back on a career in law, movie production and writing that often brought him back to the land of smiles and former poppy fields time and time again. His best-selling book ‘The Big Mango‘ counted several hundred thousand readers, among them James Gandolfini, star of the HBO show The Sopranos who was working on a movie adaption featuring no one less than himself in the lead role.

Sometimes things go different as planned. It’s also a theme in Jake’s other books: Two very distinct crime fiction series of his take readers on a trip around the region. Following either American expatriate Jack Shepherd or Singaporean police officer Samuel Tay, they immerse readers in the world of Asian metropoles rarely featured so well.

In this interview Jake gives an insight not only on how he perceives writing itself but shares his criticism of an over-romantic description of the profession. It is safe to say that his down to earth attitude about the process and how he manages to put a degree of separation between himself and his completed work might not be what a great many fans expect. That might not be the only thing his fans don’t expect though.

Jake’s relationship with Thailand’s inhabitants – both the local and the foreign kind – hasn’t always been an easy one to describe. He himself feels there is a changing attitude that he can sense during his stays in Thailand. It’s change he even sees in the shifting type of hate mail he has been receiving over his active years as a novelist. In this interview he voices his sometimes very polarizing thoughts on the culture and education of his host country, but also expresses a strong admiration for the hard work displayed by many of its inhabitants.

It’s not just Thailand that Jake reflects on. He shares what he believes was essential to his success as a writer. It’s probably not what you expect to hear, and for many aspiring novelists it may certainly not be what they want to hear.

It is one of the more controversial podcast episodes I’ve done so far and I’d love to hear your thoughts about it in the comments!

And because we value our Patrons, not just as supporters of Thailand Starter Kit, but as members of our close-knit expat community, you’ll get access to some special perks as well.

Karsten Aichholz

My name is Karsten and I’m a 30-something pro-gamer turned tech entrepreneur. I’m the youngest of three sons to a British mom and a German dad who met while working in Canada. As management trainee at Lufthansa German Airlines I worked in India, Dubai, Austria and Germany.

Jake was indeed a great interviewee and I enjoyed listening to the recounting of his experiences. I agree with him on there being major issues with the education system in Thailand as well as a number of other critical thoughts he has about the country. Where I found myself disagreeing a lot was when it comes to ‘Thais not liking anybody’. I thought that’s a statement that’s so broad that I felt it was inaccurate.

As for the ‘monologue’: I’m not a journalist and this podcast is mostly a hobby. It’s a lot of work and in many cases I receive very limited feedback. One area I tend to think about is whether I make interviews ‘too soft’. I wanted to share my thoughts about the interview and encourage people to comment – mostly so I have a better idea on how to handle this in the future. On the other hand I figured it may be interesting to some regular listeners to get a bit more of a look at the thoughts that go into making an episode.

Recommended Services

We receive a lot of e-mails asking for recommendations for products, services, and companies. We can't answer all of them individually, so we’ve put together a list of the most important ones below.

You can also check out Thailand Starter Kit for a complete solution to help you get setup as an expat in Thailand.

Moving

Moving companies: If you’re looking to move your belongings into or out of Thailand, use this form and get free quotes directly from moving companies.

Renting

Agent: I’ve met a ton of real estate agents in Bangkok over the years, and most haven't really lived up to my expectations. If you want to avoid the trial-and-error of finding a qualified agent, you can use this form to get in touch with an agent who receives consistently great feedback.

It’s a quick way to find a place to live and completely free for you.

Health

Hospital: You can visit Bangkok Hospital in Thailand for any treatment you need. They have experienced specialists and use advanced medical technology to treat all ailments. Bangkok Hospital is especially good at treating heart disease, cancer, and bone and joint issues, and has an excellent baby delivery ward.

Health Checkups: Bumrungrad is considered one of the best private hospitals for health checkups because of the quality of healthcare they provide. The hospital is known for diagnosing illnesses that other hospitals missed or misdiagnosed. Bumrungrad also comes highly recommended by US and German doctor friends of Thailand Starter Kit.

Health Insurance

Karsten, the founder of Thailand Starter Kit, uses the French insurance company ACS. They pay with no deductible for all inpatient and outpatient treatment. With a coverage limit of $500,000, their Silver Plan is one of the few plans in Asia with sufficient coverage.

Xendpay is among the cheapest ways to send money to Thailand. The fees are some of the lowest, saving you about 1,500 baht on a 30,000 baht transfer. They’re also a cheap way to send money to other countries as well.

Travel

Flights and Hotels: Expedia offers good deals when it comes to flights and hotels. This is mostly due to them having lots of special promotions in the Thai market. You can easily save hundreds of dollars using Expedia.

Travel Insurance: If you want to travel to Thailand with peace of mind, then get travel insurance with World Nomads. It’ll costs less than $10 a day but come with a $300,000 limit on emergency evacuation and repatriation.

Car Rental: Renting a car is a great way to explore Thailand, especially when your destination is outside of Bangkok. You can do easily rent a car with HappyCar. The rate you get from them can even be cheaper than renting directly from a rental company.

Learning Thai

Thaipod101 is a great way to learn Thai online, no matter where you are in the world. They have a full list of audio and video lessons to help you quickly get started in speaking Thai.

Lawyer

Legal: Finding an ethical, professional, and affordable lawyer is super hard. Fill out this form and we will put you in touch with someone that meets all three criteria.

Business & Corporate

Registering a Company: Feel free to contact us with questions if you need help with registering a company. We’ll assist you based on our experience with running a company in Thailand for over a decade.

Accounting: Banchee Legal House can help your company with accounting, taxes, payroll, and social security at rates you can afford. They are your one-stop, easy-to-talk-to accountants in Thailand.

Office Space: It’s quick, easy, and affordable to use a serviced office for your business. Two reputable companies in the market are Regus and Spaces.

Digital and Content Marketing: My current and prior companies did exceptionally well thanks to an excellent digital marketing team that I had build up. My former marketing manager now went ahead and started an agency to provide that service to other companies. You can get in touch with her here.

Need help with something else for your business? Feel free to get in touch.

Disclaimer

This website includes links to partner companies. I receive a financial compensation from people clicking on them. This happens at no cost to you and helps me cover some of the expenses of running this website.